Mother's Day gift ideas, courtesy of our moms.

Don't know what to get mom this Mother's Day? Look no further! Here's a sampling of our mom's favorite AC pieces. From necklaces to earrings, we have Mother's Day covered.

Amanda Judge, President & Founder of Andean Collection.
My mom loves the Tagua Bib in sunset orange.

Tagua Bib

Cristina Guerrero, Production Coordinator and Manager of Exports in Ecuador.
My mom loves the Sofia earrings in lime.

Sofia Earrings

Jessica Casper, Creative Director
My mom loves the Amazon necklace in tropical and wears the Riverbed bracelets in ivory, onyx and tomato all the time.

Amazon Necklace

Riverbed Bracelet in tomato

Riverbed Bracelet in onyx

Riverbed Bracelet in ivory

Jane May, Boutique Account Manager.My mom loves the Acai necklace in aqua.

Acai Necklace in aqua

Maureen McMurray, Business Development and Brand Outreach Associate
I gave my mom the Playita necklace in aqua for her birthday and she loves it!

Playita Necklace in aqua

Dakotah Shore, Warehouse Manager

The Avenida earrings in lavender. She wears them all the time!

Avenida Earrings in lavender

Bria Bergman, Director of Business Development and Private Label Design

The Tagua Bib in sunset orange.

Andean Collection's 24-Hour Earth Day Sale

Celebrate Earth Day with 20% off all Andean Collection accessories.
Visit our online shop and use the promo code: AC422
Sale starts at the strike of midnight (Sunday 4/22) and lasts until 11:59 pm (Sunday 4/22)
Get your tagua on!

Celebrate Earth Day with AC's Favorite Sustainable Brands and Movements

Earth Day is this Sunday, and we want to spread the love by sharing our favorite sustainable brands and movements. Andean Collection's jewelry is made from seeds that have been sustainably harvested from the lowlands and rainforests of South America, and we are proud to be part of the growing community of eco-friendly designers and businesses. Here is a small sampling of the sustainable movements, and brands, we love.
 Runa Tea

Based in NYC, Runa Tea is a fair trade company that works with farmers in Eastern Ecuador to produce organic tea from leaves of the Guayasa plant. Runa is partnered with over 600 farmers in Ecuador. Not only is the brew delicious, but it is also rich in caffeine and has DOUBLE the anti-oxidants of other teas.  Plus, the leaves act as a natural insect repellant. We drink it on a daily basis in our Brooklyn offices.

Om Aroma & Co.

Also based in NYC, all of Om's products are locally produced and truly organic. Om's founder, Angela Jia Kim, was inspired to develop the line after a bad run in with a "natural" lotion. Thank heavens she did, because now you can luxuriate with confidence! From lavender mist to body cream, Om Aroma & Co. is a one-stop shop for the eco-spa enthusiast.

Supply Change

Chrissie Lam founded Supply Change with the goal of connecting mainstream fashion brands with artisans in developing countries, as a way providing steady income to the artisan communities while bringing socially conscious fashion to the mainstream. Thanks to Chrissie's efforts, Andean Collection is in collaboration with Chico's, Levi's is working with Mercado Global and Whole Foods is partnering with Comfort the Children International. The best news, Supply Change is a new project so we can all look forward to even more global partnerships!

Stella McCartney's Veganism

Forget python and suede, Stella McCartney's vegan handbags and shoes are the cat's pajamas. 


Doyle & Doyle

Doyle & Doyle is an antique and estate jewelry boutique located in Lower Manhattan, but they also have an online shop for out-of-towners. Really, what is more sustainable than vintage jewelry? Full disclosure, my engagement ring is an early 20th century estate piece that my husband picked up at Doyle & Doyle. I was so blown away that I wound up getting my wedding band there as well. I love that each piece comes with a bit of history and personality, and I love its sustainability.

The Bold and the Beautiful: Andean Collection's Top 5 Spring Colors

74 degrees and sunny. Once again we're enjoying a perfect spring day in New York City. Days like this are as rare as a Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat, so I'm celebrating with my favorite AC spring colors and styles.

Aqua
I particularly love the depth and shine of the aqua in our Trapezoid Necklace.

Lime
Who knew tagua and acai seeds could carry such a bright color! I love the little burst of lime in our Sofia Earrings. Very cute summer evening wear.

Pacific Blue
Although not technically located in the Pacific, for me, this color evokes the beauty of the Aegean Sea. Slip on an Acai Cuff in Pacific Blue and transport yourself to Santorini!

Fuschia
Tassel Necklace in fuschia all the way. It is versatile, easy to wear and it's fun to shake the tassel around. I love it.

Ivory
White goes with everything, and the Classic Tagua Bracelet in ivory will compliment your entire summer wardrobe.

 Fingers crossed that it remains this beautiful until summer!

What is it like to work in Ecuador?

Andean Collection is hiring a production manager in Ecuador!! This is one of our most interesting positions yet and we want your help in finding the perfect candidate! This person will manage our growing staff of four in Ecuador and oversee our 70 artisans. The Production Manager will work directly with me, Amanda, CEO of Andean Collection, in continuing to make our operations in Ecuador as inspiring as effectual.

So what's it like to work with Andean Collection in Ecuador?

Well, it's a lot of fun!...

Jessica Casper, AC's Creative Director, taking a break from hands on designing during a recent trip to Ecuador


And it means time on the beach...

Me, AC's Founder and CEO, relaxing after a hard day of work in our tagua workshops in Ecuador's coastal region

But it also means working on the go and working hard...
Here I am yping jewelry specs into my laptop as they are yelled out by artisans from across the room - In Olga's workshop

It means playing with pretty things...
going on adventures...
AC Ecuador team on a road trip to find the finest tagua nut south of Colombia!

and eating lots of Ecuadorian food....

Working with us also means taking on a whole new family, and moving the next generation of our family into higher eduction...

And most importantly, to fit in with our team, you need to believe that...

Nancy and Olga thank you for applying with us!

Apply to work with us today in Ecuador.
Or see our other job openings in New York here

International Style! Ecuador Meets Ghana

A couple months ago, we were approached by AFIA, the sustainable women’s clothing line that is sourced and sewn in Ghana, West Africa. Lucky for us, Megan Sebold, the line’s talented designer, wanted to style our AC accessories with her hot new collection in AFIA’s Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook. And it came out awesome! We LOVE AFIA’s smart and quirky approach to incorporating our accessories with their modern silhouettes of bright and bold traditional West African patterns and motifs. Check out some of our favorite looks:

AC Lola Hat in leaf green completes this fabulous spring look with AFIA's "Goddess One Shoulder."

A Honeycomb Necklace in berry, paired with two stacked Polished Tagua Bracelets in berry, highlight AFIA's killer high-waisted "Staple Skirt: Cave Dweller"!

Doubling up of the Dual Tagua Link Necklaces creates Leaf Green completes this fabulous spring look.

Fun Spring Pairings

Upon returning to NYC after spending a long weekend in Seattle, I've been having a lot of "Goldilocks" moments reflecting on the weather situation here. Not too hot, not too cold but juuuuust right. It seems spring really has sprung. So has spring fashion! Even in gray and rainy Seattle bright, bold, and citrus inspired colors could be found in every window downtown. What really stands out to me is how fabulous a job AC's design team did in capturing this spring's top trends. From color blocking to neon and citrus palettes to tres chic french charm pairings, I think AC has really got spring 2012 covered!

Oooh la la. French charm is all the rage this spring, and Andean Collection has some wonderful pastel pieces to enhance this flirty look. Layer our riverbed bracelets in nude and chocolate, and cap it off with our tassel necklace in sea green. Do you look chic? Oui oui!

Riverbed Bracelet in nude

Riverbed  Bracelet in chocolate

Tassel Necklace in sea green.

Spring 2012 is all about neon and colored denim. Need to amp up the hue? Try adding AC's polished tagua bracelet in lime with our classic tagua bracelet in berry.

 

Polished Tagua Bracelet in lime

Classic Tagua Bracelet in berry

You're bound to stand out from the crowd in these color blocked, stacked heels. Take this trend to the next level with our Tagua Bib in sunset orange.

Tagua Bib in sunset orange

A fun day in Quito for AC Scholarship recipents!

For our scholarship program we are always thinking of ways to motivate our students to do well in school. Last semester we decided to invite the two best students, among the scholarship recipients, for a day of fun in Quito. The students talked about this during the entire term and really worked hard to win, most of them had never visited their capital, which is only about two hours away from where they live.

Here we are at the last scholarship meeting in February, Elvis (left) and Anita (second from right) were the two best students and won the day in Quito! Patricia (second from left) made the 3^rd place and received a folder and multicolor pen.

Having breakfast at the Otavalo bus terminal before leaving for Quito. Anita's mother (left) joined us on the bus ride to the capital.

For the ‘día de diversion’ we first went to the Quito Basilica, the largest neo-gothic cathedral in Latin America. Something to note about this basilica are the gargoyles in the form of native Ecuadorian animals such as iguanas, Galapagos tortoises and armadillos. You can climb up all the way into the north tower, which gives you a great view of the city.

After the basilica we went to independence square in the historical center. There we visited the Quito city museum to learn more about Quito’s history. From there we went to the Jesuit church of La Compañia, its interior is almost entirely covered in gold. After lunch we also got a tour of the parliament or ‘national palace’, which was opened to the public for free by the current president. He was also the first president to display the gifts he has received during state visits, his slogan: ‘The Carondelet Palace now belongs to everyone’.

Elvis on the balcony of the parliament, the metropolitan cathedral in the background.

After such a long day of sightseeing and learning about Ecuador’s history we went for ice cream at a big mall. There the two of them used an elevator for the first time.

Both Anita and Elvis were most impressed with the parliament. It was fascinating to see where the president works and all important state decisions are made.